Jay.Steinhardt@p3.f230.n231.z1.fidonet.org (Jay Steinhardt) (08/14/90)
Index Number: 9824
The Following is an excerpt from a mailing to me by D.R.E.D.F. the
DISABILITY RIGHTS EDUCATION AND DEFENCE FUND from Berkley Ca.
ALERT ALERT ALERT
DRAFT GUIDELINES WOULD EXEMPT MUCH NEW HOUSING FROM ACCESS REQUIRED
BY FAIR HOUSING AMMENDMENTS ACT OF 1988
Your letters are urgently needed by Sept. 14, 1990 informing the
federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) that
their proposed accessability guidelines to incerpt in thhe Fair
Housing Ammendments Act of 1988 include options that would
serriously weaken the Act's requirements for accessability in new
multi-family housing.
By enacting the fair Housing Ammendments of 1988, Congress mandated
the right of people with disabilities to be free from housing
discrimination. The Act requires that new multi-familiy housing
include certain specified feachersof accessability. HUD drafted
satisfactory guidelines to help builders comply with the law.
However, under intensepreasure from the building industry, HUD has
now included options in its proposed guidelines tghat would
seriously undermine the accessability requirements. HUD's
satisfactory proposal is called Option One in the draft document;
the building industry proposals are Options Two and Three.
Among the worst problems in Options two and three are exemptions
for many buildingsfrom having to be accessable at all; allowance
for doors several inches narrower that what is required by all
other access codes; and allowing a full step to the back door of
the unit.
We encourage you to write HUD expressing support for option 1 and
oppisition to options 2 & 3. Send your comments and conserns
now!!!
Please write to:
Office of the General Counsel
Rule Docket Clerk, Room 10276
Department of Housinf and Urban Development
451- 7th Street S.W.
Washington D.C. 20410-0500
Send a letter urging HUD to incorperate them as YOUR suggestions.
Write on the above issues and issues of concern to you. zIf you
know any design professionals or builders who would support our
possission ask them to write also. You can Contact D.R.E.D.F.
Berkley CA. for a copy of the proposed guidelines or ask your
representative to sent them to you. Please do it soon!!!
For those who would like copies of the sample letters recomended by
D.R.E.D.F. drop a note and I will foward a copy of the mailing to
you. Please keep in mind the regulations are not in the mailing.
The mailing is a recomended letter that elaborates on the issues.
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